Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program

About the role

This Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor will serve as a psychotherapist on a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team. The BHIP therapist will foster recovery-oriented - patient-centered - trauma-informed - and evidence-based - mental health care for Veterans assigned to the BHIP team.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and group evidence-based treatment and psychoeducation for Veterans with a wide range of mental and behavioral health conditions
• Provide crisis intervention and stabilization - which may include facilitating connections to higher levels of care (e.g. - emergency department) for patient safety
• Conduct all three components of measurement based care: collect patient reported outcome measures - share results with Veterans - and act on the basis of those findings
• Provide motivational enhancement to prepare Veterans to participate in clinically appropriate care
• Conduct or refer for couples/family interventions as indicated
• Consultation to staff within and outside of the mental health service line to assist in diagnosis and treatment of their patients
• Use tele-mental health and face to face modalities to provide psychological services to Veterans
• Promote communication between team members - patients - and their families to facilitate recovery-oriented treatment
• Participate in BHIP team huddles and through electronic communication (e.g. - TEAMs chat)
• Contribute to continuous improvement efforts in the BHIP
• Complete timely documentation as required by the Medical Center

Requirements

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health CounselingClinical Rehabilitation CounselingClinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counselingor a related field - from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Examples of related mental health counseling fields include - but are not limited to Addiction CounselingCommunity CounselingGerontology CounselingMarital - Couple - and Family Counseling
• CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program
• Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full - current - and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - which includes diagnosis and treatment
• Exception: VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified - pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure
• This exception only applies up to the full performance level
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - GS-9 (Entry Level): Experience - Education - and Licensure
• The GS-9 grade level is the entry grade level for LPMHCs with less than one year of experience(post-master's degree) or for LPMHCs at the master's or doctoral level) who are graduates not yet licensed at the independent practice level
• Unlicensed LPMHCs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education and are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure
• AND - Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the basic requirements - the candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
• Ability to engage in intake and assessment - problem identification - diagnosis - treatment planning and implementation - continuum of care - evaluation and follow-up
• Knowledge of current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders in formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical interventions using professional counseling practices
• Basic knowledge of professional counseling practice with emphasis on human development principles through cognitive - affective - behavioral or systemic interventions - and strategies that address high risk behaviors - wellness - personal growth - and career development across the life span
• Ability to use a wide variety of individual - group - or family counseling interventions
• demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills
• Ability to serve on an interdisciplinary team with focus on the intrapersonal - interpersonal - and relational functioning of individuals - groups and families and on the counseling approaches - strategies - and techniques that will best help patients function effectively
• Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents - data management - maintaining accurate - timely and thorough clinical documentation and delivery of services - such as Telehealth
• Knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes - case laws - ethical codes - and regulations affecting professional practice of counseling
• Ability to communicate effectively - both orally and in writing - with people from varied backgrounds

Qualifications

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - GS-11 (Full Performance Level): Experience - Education - and Licensure

• In addition to the basic requirements - candidates must have at least one year of post-master's or post- doctoral degree mental health counseling experience (VA or non-VA experience) and must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level and demonstrate the KSAs below
• LPMHCs may provide clinical supervision over the clinical practice of an unlicensed LPMHC or LPMHC trainee
• Some state licenses do not license an individual to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs
• Please refer to specific state licensing laws regarding the requirements for providing clinical supervision
• AND - Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-9 grade level - the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
• Ability to make professional evaluations - decisions - and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation
• Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship
• Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas - build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments - review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation
• Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress Requires independent judgment and skill
• Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills - including evidenced- based practices - screening - and psychosocial assessment
• Ability to use a wide variety of individual - group - or familial counseling interventions
• demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills
• Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices
• Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills - family support - and community integration
• This may include evidence based psychotherapy

Skills

Preferred Experience:

• Experience working with Veterans in an outpatient mental health setting
• Experience providing evidenced based psychotherapy for serious mental illness and other diagnoses (e.g. - depression - anxiety) with symptom severity and/or complexity necessitating intervention at a higher level of care than is provided in a primary care setting
• Experience completing assessments for diagnostic clarification - treatment planning - and measurement based care
• Experience working with an interprofessional team to develop and implement collaborative treatment plans
• Utilization of recovery-oriented - person-centered - and trauma-informed principles

Benefits

None listed

Pay

None listed

Schedule

Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Subject to change based on the needs of the facility

Virtual

This is not a virtual position